Thames Water on cusp of public ownership after ‘weak’ deal Water Thames Water is on the cusp of being placed in temporary public ownership after the government raised concern with a proposed £10bn rescue by its lenders. It was reported last night that the environment secretary Emma Reynolds had outlined a number of concerns to the industry regulator Ofwat ahead of a final decision on the [...]
Apple and Google face age-check showdown as Starmer’s social media ban widens Tech Apple and Google could be forced to carry out age checks on millions of British users under plans being considered by ministers, as Sir Keir Starmer presses ahead with a landmark ban on social media for under-16s. The Prime Minister unveiled the crackdown on Monday, confirming that children will be barred from platforms including TikTok, [...]
Specialist tech recruiter sees hiring slump across UK and Europe Tech A specialist recruiter in science, technology and maths has posted a slump across its UK operations as the hiring market continues to cool. Workforce consultant SThree recorded a 19 per cent drop in net fees across the UK, which refer to costs paid by an employer to fill a vacancy. Total takings in the UK [...]
Debenhams owner hails ‘successful transformation’ as loss narrows June 16, 2026 Debenhams’ owner has hailed a “successful transformation” following its drastic turnaround, though the fast-fashion group still posted a £100m loss. The AIM-listed group, which owns brands including Debenhams, Pretty Little Thing and Karen Millen, saw its pre-tax loss narrow by 69 per cent to £108m in the year to February. The fashion firm, which is [...]
Trump to reject UK plea over Anthropic ban as AI ‘kill switch’ fears grow June 16, 2026 The White House is poised to reject Keir Starmer’s attempt to restore British access to Anthropic’s most advanced AI models, in a move that has exposed how dependent the UK has become on a handful of American Big Techs. Downing Street has spent recent days lobbying Washington for an exemption after the Trump administration blocked [...]
Rathbones to suspend thousands of client account inflows after FCA probe deals £530m blow June 16, 2026 Rathbones is set to lose out on hundreds of millions of pounds of inflows after it suspended contributions from thousands of customers following an independent investigation into its business amid concerns from the Financial Conduct Authority. The review into the company, known as a skilled person review, uncovered compliance shortcomings in its UK wealth management [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks inch up as details of US-Iran peace deal under scope at G7 summit June 16, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Global leaders are gathering today in France for the G7 summit as markets digest the latest developments in the US-Iran peace deal. Relief spread across global markets yesterday after the US and Iran were confirmed to have sealed a deal to stop the fighting in [...]
Fuse boss attacks planning rules as a ‘self-imposed bottleneck for growth’ June 16, 2026 Alan Chang believes Britain’s energy crisis is largely self-inflicted. The founder of Fuse Energy, the $5bn (£3.72bn) energy supplier and infrastructure developer, argues that the UK already has the ingredients needed to drive investment in the sector. What it lacks, he says, is a planning system capable of turning that potential into projects. “There is [...]
2026 World Cup: How England went from misery to magnet for blue chip brands June 16, 2026 As they begin their 2026 World Cup campaign, the England brand is unrecognisable from 10 years ago – and it is paying off in growing revenues for the FA. This month marks a decade since one of the darkest days in the Football Association’s history, when England’s men were humbled by Iceland – a nation [...]
Former KPMG chief joins £10m funding round for AI-powered audit challenger June 16, 2026 A Berlin-based audit AI firm has raised over £10m in a fundraising round, including from Dawn Capital, to expand into the UK market as a solution to the skilled labour shortage in the audit industry. Cortea, founded in 2024 by Valentin Neumann and Philipp Hovelmann, pitches itself as an answer for firms under pressure to [...]